looking back at moving forward, with heart

New Year’s Eve fireworks at my friends’ house in Nashua.

My word for 2017 was forward. It was my theme for the year–the concept I wanted to keep in the center of my life and mind. In light of my last post, it may seem that I stalled on that concept, but I disagree.

The places I was forced to stand still (or even, in a few instances, back up) were all areas out of my control.

The things I did have control over moved forward. I picked up several freelance projects and became a working writer. I read and blogged about over thirteen books featuring diverse characters. (Even though I had secretly hoped to hit 26 books, my stated goal was nevertheless met, so I consider it a success even though things fell apart in August due to some of those out-of-my-control bits.) Most important to me, I finished writing and revising a novel, wrote and polished the query and synopsis, and drew up a list of over 70 agents that I want to query.

And something came unstuck in me after my last post, as well. I finished Tricker’s Queen, and even zoomed through Beauty Queens and started When Dimple Met Rishi. I’m not certain exactly how I will approach book recommendations on this blog in the future, but I’m reading again, which is a tremendous relief. I’m still moving forward.

Though I intend to maintain momentum, the word I’ve chosen for 2018 is heart. In deciding what to focus on this year, I kept going back to the areas where I was forced to stall, last year. I decided to reclaim what I could. So, this year, when choosing the people and activities I spend my time with, I will concentrate on those that I treasure and that nurture the heart of who I am. What’s essential?

Among those things are my husband, kids, and dog; the new book I’m writing; and some friends I’ve fallen out of touch with as I pulled inward over the past two years. There’s more, of course. But that’s the heart of it.